Chapter 49: Is it wrong for capitalists to exploit ghosts?

Where there are people, there is the world.

'Cross that out.'

Where there are people, there is business.

And when business reaches a certain scale, capital is born.

As the eldest daughter of a powerful capitalist family, Kaguya understood just how influential capitalism could be.

So, could one become a capitalist in a horror game?

The answer was simple: yes, absolutely.

First, each game scenario brought in a large number of players. It would be a waste not to take advantage of them.

Having received an elite capitalist education from a young age, Kaguya believed there were only two types of people in the world: those you could use, and those you couldn't.

If you could exploit the vengeful spirits, why not exploit the players too?

Only a fool would risk their life struggling to complete tasks on their own. A true capitalist would organize, manage, and control others—using all players to conquer the game.

'Kaguya Shinomiya, the capitalist of horror games.'

Of course, such ambition required patience. You had to take it one step at a time, growing your influence gradually.

For now, a small goal would suffice—like making her first hundred million.

There was a soft knock at the door.

"Come in," Kaguya said, turning her head.

The first customer had arrived.

"Excuse me."

A high-school-aged girl pushed the door open and stepped inside. It seemed this horror game didn't recruit elementary or middle school students, nor had they seen any elderly participants yet.

"My name's Aoba..." The girl introduced herself quietly, casting a nervous glance toward the vengeful cow spirit seated beside Amamiya. "Can I really trade for food here?"

"Yes," Kaguya nodded. "You know the exchange rules, right?"

The girl quickly nodded back and pulled a small item from her pocket. "I'd like to exchange this for a glass of milk."

Capitalists often start small.

The rules for exchanging food were simple: trade any item from a blind box, and you would receive a cup of milk. The pricing was fair, no deception involved.

Although blind box items were often random—ranging from instant noodles to bottled water—some of them could prove useful in specific situations.

Amamiya, feeling tired from standing, was now sitting on the hospital bed. The cow ghost sat beside him, shoulder to shoulder, looking strangely cozy in their proximity.

Out of boredom, Amemiya inspected the item the girl had brought.

[Item: Blood-Stained Eraser]

[Use: Erase]

[Type: Consumable]

[Effect: Guarantees erasure of a wrong answer on a test. Use with caution as it has limited charges.]

[Note: A top student once collapsed, bleeding in an exam room, clutching the desk with bloody hands. In the end, all he could manage was to grab an eraser... instead of clearing his browser history.]

"Um, can I really exchange this eraser for food?" the girl asked timidly, worried the item was too useless to trade.

"No problem," Kaguya replied smoothly. She turned her gaze to Amemiya. "Natsuki-san, I'll leave it to you."

No matter what the item was, even if it was just a scrap of paper, Kaguya would accept the trade. For her, the key was to establish a reputation.

Besides, producing milk only required feeding a couple of handfuls of leeks. It was a guaranteed profit.

Amemiya nodded. "Leave it to me."

"Wait." The cow lady, who had just begun to relax, sensed something off. Narrowing her eyes, she glared at Amemiya. "What are you planning to do?"

"We're running a business, of course," Amemiya answered plainly. "They bring in props, and we provide food. It's a simple trade."

"I mean, what are you planning to 'do to me'?!" she snapped.

"Why ask such an obvious question?" Amemiya sighed before calling out, "Fujiwara-san, come feed the leeks."

"On it!"

The cow lady could only watch, her vision darkening as her anger surged. How shameless these humans were!

It wasn't enough that they played with her—now they were treating her as a money-making machine. How could humans be so heartless?

A moment later, a glass of milk appeared as if conjured from thin air.

"Thank you!" The girl beamed with surprise and gratitude, quickly drinking the milk. She timidly offered her thanks again before leaving under the fiery glare of the vengeful spirit's red eyes.

One by one, other players began entering the room, trading with Kaguya and leaving with milk in exchange for their random blind box items. Kaguya, ever the capitalist, accumulated a growing collection of odds and ends—while her influence continued to spread.

[Item: A Serious Marker]

[Description: This pen has been used over the years to write characters correctly. It has gained special powers. When held, it allows you to write flawless characters in a single stroke.]

[Note: How many strokes does a Japanese character have? With enough practice, you could write one in a single stroke.]

There was also an unusual red string. When tied to the fingers of two people, any movement of one person's fingers would cause the other's fingers to move as well.

Another item was a master key—except it couldn't open locks.

A consumable item called the "Traveling Frog" could be sent on a journey. The frog would return with local delicacies, most likely insects.

Then there was the "Mask of the Hill People." If worn when you were sick, a strange song would echo in your ears: 'The first hill is sick, the second hill is watching, the third hill is picking herbs, and the fourth hill is boiling...' 

In short, there was an endless variety of strange props.

As the transactions continued, both sides were pleased, with one exception—Miss Cow Lady, who was reduced to tears, miserably chewing on leeks.

"I think we may have gone a bit too far," Chika murmured softly.

Chika, who had always been kind-hearted, felt sympathy for the vengeful spirit, now on the verge of despair, her tear-filled eyes brimming with sorrow.

"It 'is' a bit much," Amamiya admitted before quickly coming up with a solution. "Alright, Chika, go tear a strip of cloth from the bedsheet."

"Huh?" Chika looked confused. "What are you going to do with a cloth strip?"

"We'll blindfold Miss Ghost," Amemiya explained with a straight face. "I saw a report on XxX once about a farmer who gave VR headsets to his cows to simulate a pasture under a blue sky and white clouds. Their milk production went up by 20%."

As the cow lady glared at him, Amemiya continued with all sincerity, "We don't have VR headsets, so the cloth will have to do. Just imagine a barbecue feast instead."

The cow lady's eyes filled with even more tears. She swallowed the leeks in one gulp and, trembling, pleaded, "Please, no... You can't bully ghosts like this..."

At the same time, another player timidly stepped forward. She was a newcomer, only participating in the game for the second time. Having used up all the props she had, she now had nothing and was hoping to beg for food.

"Sorry, no," Kaguya said coldly.

Businesspeople were not philanthropists, nor were they saints.

If she gave food away to someone just for asking, how would the players who had traded valuable items for food feel?

"But," Kaguya continued as she saw the girl's dejected expression, "you can earn food in other ways. Information you gather, anomalies you notice, or fulfilling our small requests—these can all be exchanged for food."

There was no doubt that reputation was a form of power.

To become a capitalist in a horror game, one couldn't just operate in secret. One had to build a reputation.

"Information..." The girl's eyes lit up. "I know something about the real world. Can I trade that for food?"

"Yes, but don't try to deceive us with false information," Kaguya warned. "The consequences would be serious."

"It's real!" the girl said excitedly. "I met an old woman once, and she told me that while most vengeful spirits are formed from humans after death, there are exceptions. Some people with pure hearts and strong wills don't turn into evil spirits. Instead, they become white guardian spirits, or something like that."